Rolling car dumper



April 6,1926.

J. GRIESS ROLLING CAR BUMPER Filed Jan'. 7, 1925 LIX* April 6 1926.

J. GRIESS ROLLING CAR BUMPER Filed Jan. 7, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 )v1/Mrap JJsfi/z Gries.: 71 792@ 27am; idr@ y 72m A TToHA/E'Ys mmf.

l lm -img Il JJJJJJJJJBJJ: 1 l- I S z: l EECHEEWWEEEMME \\\\n. n. mm. www \\\.&.\ E ECU p w QQ o Mmmm. ,AMY

April 6,1926. 1,579,927

`J. GRlEss ROLLING GAR'DUMPER -Filed Jan. '7. 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 A 7 MHA/5K9 April 6 1926. 1,579,927'

J. GRIEss ROLLING GAR BUMPER Filed Jan. v, 1925 4 sheets-sheet 4 v 75 Vf 77 Patented Apr. 6, 1926.

.Inserm carnes,

1,579,927 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROILIZIIN'Gk CAR BUMPER.

Application tiled January "7, 19,25. Serial No. 941.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JUSTIN Gnrn'ss, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Bedford, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a'certam new and useful Improvement in a Rolling Car Dumper, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencel being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to `car dumpers of the rolling or cradle type and has for its general object the provision Aof an apparatus for effecting the rapid reception and dum ing of railroad cars containing coal or li e material into a receptacle positioned diagonally below the car to -be dumped.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide for the return of the car by gravity to its initial vposition after it has been dumped, which force may also effect the re` positioning of the car yclamping apparatus.v

Another object of my invention is' to provide a novel counter-balance for the dumping cradle of a car dumper, so constructed and positioned as to insure the return of the cradle and car and the variousoperating parts of the cradle to initial position after dumping, irrespective of the weight of the car.

One of the features of my invention is the novel arrangement of a car clamping apparatus in a rolling car dumper for effecting the clamping ofthe car to be dumped, entirely by counter-weights. Further objects will become apparent inthe following description of my invention, which pertains to t ie accompanying drawings. The essential characteristics are summarized in the claims. 4.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an end elevation of my cardumper showing the relative position of the car to be dumped and a' receptacle which in the present instance is a receiving car. Fig. 2 is a lan view of my ear dumper. Fig. 3 is a si e elevation thereof. Fig. 4 isoasomewhat diagrammatical view of the rolling unit of the car dum er. Fig. 5 is a detail in vertical section i ustrating the cradle counterweight.

The embodimentchosen for the purpose of illustrating my invention is particularly adapted to lbe operated in conjunction with mining operations in mountainous country, wherein by reason of an abrupt slope from l the mine toa railroad bed, stream orl canal,

it is difficult to arrange the desired derricks,

.and-hoisting mechanism for operatin a car or annroancnro, assrcivon 'ro run Hannan-museum conrrm, or Banronn, omo, a .concurren or omo.

adjacent the tracks'which carry the cars to i be unloaded. The other end of this bridgelike structure extends above the track upon which receiving cars run (or a stream for barges as the casemay be) and is supported by towers. These towers may also carry portions of the dumping frame hoisting or rolling mechanism. The clamping devices for the cars tobe unloaded are carried by the dumping frame andare arranged to be acted. on by an unique system comprising counterweight supporting towers, sheaves and cables erected above the cradle trackway.

The structure vof the cradle preferablyy comprises a pair of rings 2 and 3 at either end thereof suitably fastened together and braced against warping. The preferred construction of these end frames or rings results in annular girders, made upin the usualmanner of peripheral plates 5 and 6 and a vertical flat spacing web 7. Upon the outer periphery of the plate 5 I prefer to mount guidlng ribs 8 adapted to rest upon a trackway 9. The trackway has an up- .wardly extending tongue throughout lts length indicated at 10 which lies between i the two ribs or flan es 8 to guide the cradle alon the track. Suitable longitudinal beams of t e desired sections shown at 15, 16 and 17 and a box-like beam member 18 serve to connect the rings. Suitable lacing members indicated truss the beams.

The member 18 as shownin Fig. 5 comprises generally an inverted L shaped structural unit, made u of plates- 20 and 21 suitably braced and astened together by angle bars 22. This beam 18 serves to support one end of transverse beams 25, the other ends of which are connected to the other side of the cradle. These beams carry tracks 35 on which rest the rollers 38 of a carriage 26 which has tracks 39 for supporting the car. Also byreasonof'its box-like structure and generally at 19 serve to roo ' l 20 and 21, and supported at their upper ends by. short compression members 29.

The track 9 upon which the cradle is adapted to ride indumping is shown in the present instance, as inchned upwardly from its initial position and is supported at the bottom of the incline by a heavy base of concrete or tressel work. This cradle track bridges the trackway upon which the receiving cars are placed. The outer ends of the cradle tracks are by towers 50. At the other end the .trackway is preferably supported by and ysecured to a series 'of transversely placed I beams 30.

The cradle is caused to roll up the trackway to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, by means of cables 51 wrapped about the circular girders between the ribs 8. The height of the ribs issuciently -greater than the height of the tongue 10.to aii'ord an adequate clearance for the cables. At the top of the towers 50, I refer to provide sheaves 52 over which t e cables are led to the hoisting. mechanism 53 preferably mounted near the bottoms of the towers. The height of the tower is such that the angle of pull of the cables is substantially equal throughout the entire travel of the cradle with reference to the tracks.

Any suitable motor driven hoisting mechanism may be` employed but I prefer to provide a pair of hoisting drums 55 mounted in bearing brackets 56 on the foundations 54 of the towers. I prefer to provide mechanism for rolling the cradle comprising a shaft 58 which may be supported intermediate its ends upon a base 66 disposed between theA two towers as shown in Fi 2. Brackets 59 comprise bearings rotata ly ,supporting the, shafts. The ends of the shaft 58 are supported on bearing brackets resting on the base structures 54. Suitable reduction gearing 57 drivingly connects the shaft 58 to the drums. The motor drive comprises differential reduction gearing 60, carried by the shaft 58 and a jack shaft 61, which is connected by a pair of spur gears 62 to a motor 63 at one of its ends and this shaft drives a limit switch 64 through a pairof bevel gears 65 at its other end. The limit switch is so adjusted that upon the required number of rotations of the jack shaft the flow of current to the motor is reversed to ellect the return of the cradle. An type of limit switch may be used which will accomplish this result.

The trackway supporting the cradle may be mclined 1f desired to -efect the return movement of the cradle by gravity. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings, the lower end of the trackway rises in acurve complementary to the periphery of the' cradle end rings to provide a stop for the cradle upon its return movement. This also affords a convenient manner of aligning the rails on the car supporting carriage 26 with the rails of the stationary trackways 31 and 32 which terminate close to lthe open ends of the dumping cradle. The .transverse bars 25 in the cradle frame may carry rails 35 on either end of which are mounted abutment stops 36 and 37. The rollers 38 on the car carria e rest upon the rails and bear a ainst the a utment stop 37, when the car is eing dumped.

In Fig. 4 the cradle is shown in its lowermost position and the right hand rollers of the carriage bear against tl-.e stop 36 by reason of the wei ht of the car on the inclined rails. Upon t e movement of the cradle, occasioned by the pull of thecable 51, the track 35 assumes a horizontal position and then inclines downwardly to the left. The car C, to be dumped is carried down the. incline on the carriage until 1t, strikes agalnst a series of bumpers 39 placed at intervals along the bracing framework of the cradle as best shown in Fig. 3. At the same time the car clamping mechanism is released from its idle position and operates to hold the car in place. This clamping mechanism will now be described. i

I prefer to employ several clamps, each having an overhanging jaw 161 adapted to engage the ed e of the car and a shank 162 which moves reely in a slideway 163, positioned on the cradle frame. Near the lower end of the Shanks 162 I have shown chains which may be secured thereto in any suitable manner and which may extend upwardly and about the periphery of compound drums 165. Each compound drum conslsts of a sprocket wheel 166 and a sm'all sprocket wheel 167 rigidly mounted upon a shaft 168 extending substantially the length of the cradle and'mounted in brackets (not shown) on the frame. The smaller sprocket wheels have anchored to them chains 169. The

chains are attached to links 70 and the links the jaw portion of the clamps suspended above the level of the car body.

When the cradle has moved a suicient distance to v'bring the car body against the bumpers, the central arms 72 will have dis- Y the top of the car.

Adisposed sheaves 96 and 97 enga ed the plates 76, allowing the clamps to fal of their own weight-on the edge of the car. As the cradle is moved u p the incline, auxiliar clamping arm's 80, pivotcd to the jaws of t e s'lidlng clamps at 81 and each carrying a pair of oppositely dis osed rollers 82 and 83 and are caused to em race To accomplish .this I provide chains 84 secured to the cradle frame and which extend upward between the rollers as shown in Fig."3,to cables 86 and 87, guided therefrom by suitable sheaves to pendant counter-weights. These I provide of sufficient weight to support cars of the maximum weight likely to be accommodated by f the damper, when the cradle is overturned. v

For supporting these counter-weights I prefer to erect towers 93 and 94 a short distance .from either end of the cradle. -The towers are made upof suitably braced structural members, in the usual manner and support a bridge 91 also const-ructedrof the usual structural-frame members."- Sheaves` 90 are shown as carried by brackets 95 near the lower side o f this bridge and adapted to turn in a plane parallel to the direction of movement of the cradle. The cables 86 and 87 extend over the sheaves to angularly near the top of the bridge, and from these to similarly disposed sheaves 98 and 99. These latter surmount the towers-93 and4 94 respectively and from them the cables descend to counterweights `100 land 101.

Accordingly, when the cradle is being rolled along its trackway the chains 84 guided by the rollers 82 and 83 on the clamp arms tend to swing the 'upper ends of the arms downward against the ed Ae of the car opposite to that gripped by t ejaws 161 while the continued rotation of the cradle causes the chains towrap about Ithe car as pletely closing the-back of thecrad shown in the dot and dash position in Fig. 1'. The car is thereby su ported and securely'held in place upon t e rails of the carriage 26.

As the car is overturned during its .travel a quantity of the material. therein contained is likely to s ill over the edge adjacent the bumpers an to catch this and prevent it from becoming scattered along the trackway I have provided an apron 110 (Fig. 3% comeand which extends forwardly beneath the car carriage as indicated at -111 (Fig. 5) tothe frame member 18. This spill is dumped along with thecontents of trac ay, and thence into the* receiving car D. This hopper is preferabl built with pivoted inclined sides 121 an fleeting the 'material' into'jthe receiving car. Hopper controlling mechanism is provided the car into ahop r 120 super-posed above the4 receivingA 122 for del which may comprises a worm 123, fioatin nuts 124, and 125 and gearing 126 connecte ditions, in a very simple manner and with a minimum amount of material and expense. Moreover I have so designed the dumperthat it may be used with e ual eifectivity in any sort of terrain with ut very vslight modifications of form without departing from the spirit of' my invention.

It will also be apparent from the foregoing that my invention is adaptable to rolling car dumpers re ardless of whether the track be level or inc ined, or if inclined, regardless of the direction or degree of inclination. f

1. In a car dumper, a cradle ada tedto be rolled, and having openings iny tllie ends thereof for receiving a car longitudinall of the cradle, a transverselyshiftable carriage for the car carried by the cradle, a normally inclined support for the carriage, clamp ing mechanism adapted to engage the car by gravity when the cradle is rolled, and kmeans whereby the initial rolling of the cradle causes the car and carriage to shift to a osition where the car may be engaged by the clamping. mechanism, and flexible suspension means acting on the clamping mechanism to su port the car when the cradle is rolled to dumping position.

2. 'A rolling car dumper comprising a plurality of annular frame members, means for connecting the frame members and for supporting a` carriage, a longitudinal track mounted upon the carriage for receivin the A car, a transverse trackway for the carnage,

car clamping means normally held in inactive position by the weiglht of the cradle,A

means for rolling the cra mechanism, active u on the initial rolling of the cradle, for allliwing the car to shift relative to the cradle to a clamping position, and means including a cable` engaging the clampin means and adapted to pass over the to o the car and across one side for suspen ing the car in place while dumping.

3. In a car dum er,y a cradle adapted to be rolled, a trac way therefor, annular frame members at the ends of the cradle,

bracing means connectingilthejrame mem-f f bers, a transverse trackwayrlgidly mounted u on the bracing mean s,1a'carriage movaA b y mounted upon thetl'ackwav and adaptedA to support a car to be'g`dumped, a tower stationary relative to the cradle, counterweights and Cablescarned by thetcwer, and

Vao

' counterweight forA holding means whereby the ends of the cables loop about the car to hold it in lace on the cradle when said cradle vis rol ed.

4. In aV car dumper, a cradle adapted to be rolled, annular frame members at the ends of the cradle, an L-shaped bracing structure extending between the frame members, a transverse traclrway rigidly mounted upon the foo-t of the L, a carriage movably mounted upon the trackway adapted to support a car to be dumped, means for rolling the cradle to dump the car, and means comprising a box like bracing frame at the toe of the L adapted to contain a mass of counterweight material, for returning the cradle and car to upright position.

5. A rolling car dumper comprising a plurality of annular frame members, means for connecting the frame 'members and for supporting a carriage, means mounted upon the carriage'for receiving the car, car clamping means normally held in inactive position by the Weight of the cradle, trackway members for the cradle, means for rollin the cradle along the trackway and clamping the car, a hopper carried between said trackway members, and controlling means whereby the cradle lis returned to initial position consequent upon reaching-the hopper.

6. In a car dumper, a cradle adapted to roll along an inclined trackway, means for receiving and shiftingly supporting a car within the cradle, a trackway adapted to `support the cradle, mechanism for rolling the cradle along the trackway, and means initiated by the rolling of the cradle for causing the car to shift transversely thereof, and means including aY tower cable and the car in suspended and clamdped position, when the car is being dumpe -7. In a car dumping apparatus, a plurality of V annular frame members, an L- shaped bracing structure connecting the frame members, flanges carried by the frame members, a trackway complementaryr to the llanges, clamping mechanism-'carried by the cradle, auxiliary clamping arms pivoted I thereto, hoisting cables secured to the clamping mechanism and guidingly supporting the ends of the auxiliaryarms, an arch subtending the car dumper, and means carried' by the arch for connecting the cable to counterweighta, whereby when thev cradle is rolled from beneath the arch .the car is maintained in clam d position a ainst the leg and foot of the -shaped mem er.

8. A carA dumping apparatus comprising in combination a cradle, a trackway therefor, means for supporting a car u on the cradle, a plurality of cables secure to the cradle, clamping arms supported in disengaged position by the cables, means including mechanism for rolling the cradle along a trackway for ca e arms to engage 9. In a car dumper, a trackway,-a cradle adapted to roll upon the trackway, a tower supporting the trackway at one end, a h-opper carried b the trackway adjacent the tower, means or rolling the cradle to a position above the hopper, a shiftable carriage within the cradle adapted to support a'car, and means co-acting with the shiftable carriage and comprising cables and counterweightsfor holding the car upon the vcradle when it is moved to position above the hopper.

10. In a car dumper, a pair of cylindrical frames bracing members rigidly ,connected to the frame, means adapted to support a car to be dumped carried by said members, iexible members and clampingl arms eecured to' the cradle and adapted to form a loop about the car to support it in dumping position, a pair of towers disposed near the ends of the cradle, a bridge subtending the towers, sheaves supported by the bridge and towers for guidingly supporting the ilexible member, and means carried by the towers to maintain the loop about the car.

11. In a car dumper, a trackway a pair of c lindrical frames bracing membersv rigid y connected to lthe frames, means for rolling the frames along the trackway, a movable carriage adapted to support a car to be-dumped and carried by said bracing members, cables and clamping arms secured 4to the bracing members and adapted to loop mg pressure on the clamping means after the car supporting carriage has shifted and the clampmg means has engaged the car.

13. In a car dumper having a rolling cradle, a car supporting carriage shiftably 'mounted on the cradle, and car clamping means simultaneously actuated with the car -shifting movement of said carriage, means acting after the engagement of the clamping means with the car for retaining the clam ing means in said engagement during su sequent rolling of the cradle and means for rolling said cradle.

14. In a car dumping apparatus, the combination of a cradle ada ted to be rolled, a platform adapt to support a car,

for holding the clamp in engagement with v the top of the car duringfurther rolling of the cradle.

15. In a car dumper, the combination with a cradle adapted to be turned, a platform therein adapted to support a car, an inclined trackway for theplatform giving it Y a tendency to move away from the location toward which the cradle turns in unloading, a clamp carried by the cradle and located in the region adjacent the elevated side of the platform, mechanism carried by the cradle and coacting with an extraneous member for holding the clamp in idle position when the cradle 1s in normal position, while allow ing the clamp to engage the car when the cradle tips, and other means for holding the clamp in engagement with thecar when the car is inverte 16. In-a oar dumper, the combination of aV cradle adapted to be rolled, a' platform therein adapted to support a car, a4 clamp for the car, means for holding the clamp in inactive position'when the cradle is in normal position-said means functionin to allow the clam to en age the car when t e cradle A rolls, an a flexi about the car Vand hold -the c amp therele member ada ted towrap againstduring subsequent rolling.

17. In a dump car, the combination of a cradle adapted to be rolled, a transversely movable platform therein ada ted to support a car, a clamp on that si e of the car toward which the cradle is rolled from its normal position to unload, mechanism for holding said clamp elevated and free from the car when the cradle is in normal position, said mechanism being adapted to release the clamp to enable it to 4drop by gravity into engagement with the car when the cradle is rolled, and a flexible member acting on the clam and adapted to hold it in engagement wit the car during subsequent rolling of the cradle.

18. In a car dum er, the combination of a cradle adapted to e rolled, a car supportlng platform therein, an inclined support for the platform, a' clamp for the car on that side of the cradle corresponding to the elevated side of the platform, mechanism for holding the clamp elevated when the cradle is in normal position, but adapted to release the clamp after the cradle has turned and the car has moved beneath the clamp,- a clamping member for the o posite wall of the car pivoted to the clamp rst mentioned' and a cable ada ted to wra around the car and hold the c amp and c amping memberv in engagement therewith as the car is being inverted.

19. In a rollin car dumper, the combinationof a-pair o rings, lon itudinall members connecting them, one o said members formed to constitute a counterweight, transverse supports extending from said counterweight and roviding a track for the platform norma 1y inclined upwardly from the counterweight, a car supporting platform on `said track, and a yclampin devlce for the car carried by the track on t e opposite side of the platform from the counterweight.

20; A cradle for a rollin car dumper comprising a pair of ring mem rs, longitudinal members connecting said rings, one of said members being composed of a air of plates atz an an le to each other an' concrete in the angu ar space between said plates, said concrete constltuting a counterweight tend-V in to return the cradle to normal position.

n testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

' JUSTIN GRIESS. 

